Hair and Makeup (and clothes too)

It's expensive if you go to a salon, that's for sure but other than a fancy haircut, coloring your hair is pretty easy maintenance. It's the highlighting that would get me =/ The only upside to paying for it would be the expertise you're getting with the color. They can help you choose a good color and actually do the right things to get it to that color. Like at one point I wanted J-Lo light brown hair, but when I asked the girl who did my do, she said it would require bleaching, etc and I was just going to buy a lighter brown dye and just hope for the best. So color matching might be a good reason to go initially, but I think upkeep you can do on your own.

Meh - I've been dying and highlighting my hair for years, and doing my mom's and daughter's as well. I used to cut it as well, but finally found a stylist that does an amazing job, so I leave that up to her now.

There are several nice over the counter products that even give you subtle highlights, and provide you with all you need. Personally, I prefer getting my supplies from Sally's, a beauty supply store, because I can just get the parts I need and can mix it up in tiny batches for touch ups, or larger batches if I need to do some serious dying (which occurs about every 3 months or so).

Just for kicks I did ask my stylist what she would charge to do a dye/highlight job on my hair...which is really short these days...and when she said prices started at $90, I decided to fergetaboutit lol

ugh, I need to do something with my hair too.. as well as everything else.. I love that my hair is getting long.. * lower back now yay!) but its all split and broken so needs to be cut :(

My hair is constantly frizzy and dry and poofy.. even when I straighten it.. I used to go to a salon to get it relaxed but the people moved their shop then started charging double ( 140 dollars for cut and relax omg)

Anyway, id like to just go get a trim and recolor it but debating about whether or not to color.. lightening will damage my hair even more and no clue how Ill look with darker hair..

I got my crown highlighted and with a cut that cost me 160 bucks. Screw that. I even let my roots grow in and redyed it to my natural color myself. I do want to color it again, something lighter but I won't even bother until I go back to work again. Just can't afford to get a super style and color while unemployed.

I worked with a girl who had her hair done ever 6 weeks. 90 bucks. No thank you. =x

Yea, $55 every four weeks for a cut, but add to that nail fills, pedicures, and massages...sheesh.

You can get great OTC colors that will last a fair amount of time. I perfer going to salon for dying my hair because they can see the back of my head and is always nice and even. vs my arms getting tired and me missing spots. lol
Same with cuts. Salons use higher quality colors/dye/tones etc which of course cost more because of the stuff used in them costs more to get. Which is why Paul Mitchell etc is so much more costly then your every day store bough products.
If you want to dye it one simple color make sure you get enough color for your hair length, maybe a friend or family member to help. Since you are dyeing your hair you shouldnt have any issues. If you where bleaching I would suggest doing a test to see how your hair reacts and make sure you keep it well conditioned and protected

I go every 3 to 4 weeks 97 bucks =x most ... then i get my facial , nails are done every 2 .... gods I am expensive :(

Firstly.. lemme apologize for the length of this post... I ended up writing a novel :razz
I was in cosmetology (beauty school) in highschool (vocational type thing), due to my parents basically forcing me to. (that's another story for another time)

Several things I learned when I was there: the extra money you spend for the "professional products" is a waste of money. They really aren't all that better made than the "grocery store" brands. You're pretty much paying for the name brand. There are some though, that are higher quality, and better for your hair. (will go more into general hair care later in this post)

As for dyes, if you're gonna go that route, otc products are fine. they really don't give you the fine control that you would get with the professional stuff (which, as Den stated, you can get from sally beauty supply) The difference being with the otc products, you only get one choice for the level of "developer" they use. (what lightens your hair, and preps it to take the color) With the professional stuff, you can get different levels (they lighten your hair more or less, depending on the amount of change you're going for, darker you'd use a milder one, going several shades lighter, you'd use a much stronger one)
What they use in those "Create beautiful highlights" packages you can get from the stores, is basically pure bleach. you have to be *very* careful with that, as you can quickly fry and damage your hair permanently if you don't watch it very carefully. I would recommend, if you want highlights like that & want to do it yourself, is to color your hair a slight shade lighter, and then get a shade or 2 darker, and apply the highlights with that after you've done the initial all over dye. (be sure to always start at the front of your scalp & work back. your hair is naturally darker on the underside, and the dye will process shorter time there, and won't get quite as much color. ).
One think you really need to do.. *especially* if you're dying for the first time is an allergy test. Most boxes of color tell you how to do this in the instructions. I highly recommend waiting 24 hours after the allergy test before proceeding to color your hair.

Back to hair care, and products... (Mostly for Lessa, but is good for anyone). I would highly recommend going the CO (conditioner only, oftentimes referred to as the "No 'Poo method") method if you have dry frizzy hair (it's awesome for curls, makes them so soft & actually makes them curlier) Basically what this is.. you wash your hair with conditioner. Do away with those nasty shampoos. Shampoo isn't as good for your hair as you may think. The conditioner will get your scalp and hair clean, without drying your hair & scalp out, & killing the PH of your scalp (which is what causes oily hair) Be sure tha you use a conditioner without "cone's" in it. Cone's are anything with the word cone at the end :p (Silicone, dimethicone, etc). Many people who use this method swear by the Suave naturals line. (completely cone free, & last I looked it's like $2-3 a bottle) I use Natures gate (organic brand) because I prefer the way it makes my hair feel. (more expensive than Suave.. bout $8ish a bottle).
Lastly.. if you're using this method, if you rinse your hair with a cup of cool water with 2 or 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar your hair will be soooooooo soft & silky. if you want added shine to that, get some fresh rosemary, and pop that into your bottle of vinegar & let it set in there for a couple weeks. You can also add a tablespoon or 2 of honey to that for an extra boost of moisture. (no, it won't leave your hair sticky). Rinse it out with as cold water as you can stand.

Note: this is just *one* of the many methods to this. there's so much info, just google it & find the right one for you. I do recommend, if you go this route, hat you make sure that you use a conditioner that has no cone's an no waxes. The reason being, these will build up on our hair, and your hair will end up looking quite yucky. If you need an extra bit of moisture, do a deep condition with olive oil. get it spread evenly through your hair, then wrap your head/hair into a damp warm towel for about 30-45 minutes.(I pop mine into the microwave for about 45 seconds) Then just brush your hair though a couple times, hop into the shower & rinse your hair thoroughly with warm/hot water to get most of the oil out, & then do a really light conditioner wash, and rinse that with very cold water (as cold as you an stand). I have been doing the CO method for about 2 months now, and my hair has never been curlier. it's also virtually frizz free and hangs down to the bottom of my waist

I only wash my hair maybe twice a week now - tends to hold a style better and is shinier without being overly oily.

I never was it every day, but havent tried the conditioner only thing.. so Ill definately do that.. and need to get new conditioner.. the one I just bought has cones :( Though the one I had before it didnt haha. Thanks hun, Ill see how it works :) Ive been told that I have about the worst combo hair possible.. and I believe it! ( blond/curlyish )

I use Herbal Essence. Their descriptions are so cute on the bottle O_o